Tilting device for heavy articles



Sept. 18, 1962 R. RILEY TILTING DEVICE FOR HEAVY ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1960 travel of coil IN VE N 2' 0R RUSSELL RILEY Attorney Sept. 18, 1962 R. RILEY 3,054,514

TILTING DEVICE FOR HEAVY ARTICLES Filed Dec. 22, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nh l rfh F/ ////////////////////l l H l H hv VE/V TOR RUSSELL RILEY Affarney United States Patent 3,054,514 TILTING DEVICE FOR HEAVY ARTICLES Russell Riley, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 77,779 1 Claim. (Cl. 214-1) This invention relates to an improved device for tilting heavy articles, such as coils of metal strip, sideways.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved tilting device of simpler and more rugged construction than devices previously used for this purpose.

A further object is to provide an improved tilting device which comprises a pair of angularly related roller conveyor sections for receiving a heavy cylindrical article, and a toggle linkage supporting one of these sections enabling it to be lowered for tilting and ejecting the article, thus eliminating the need for more complex cradle mechanisms commonly employed heretofore.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of my tilting device;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section on line IIIIII of FIGURE 2 showing the device in its article-receiving position; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section similar to FIGURE 3, but showing the device in its article-discharging position.

My tilting device comprises a rigid frame of welded construction formed of a base plate 10, a first pair of spaced transversed uprights 12 adjacent the entry end, a second pair of spaced transverse uprights 13 intermediate the length, a longitudinal upright plate 14, and a pedestal 15 remote from the entry end. At their upper edges uprights 12 and 13 support a fixed roller conveyor section 16, which extends from the entry end to the pedestal 15. Uprights 12 also support a short-length fixed roller conveyor section 17. As viewed in FIGURES 3 and 4, conveyor 16 is located at the left of the longitudinal center line of the base and conveyor 17 at the right. The axes of the rollers of the two conveyor sections slope in opposite directions downwardly toward the longitudinal center line of the frame, whereby the conveyor sections form a shallow trough for receiving a cylindrical article, such as a coil C of metal strip.

A tiltable roller conveyor section 18 is hingedly connected at its inner edge to the inner edge of the fixed conveyor section 16 in the space between the end of section 17 and pedestal 15. A toggle linkage 19 is pivoted to the underside of conveyor section 18 and to an upstanding pivot ear 20 fixed to the base plate 10. Normally the linkage abuts a stop 21 fixed to the inside of plate 14 and thus supports conveyor section 18 in a raised position in which it forms a continuation of conveyor section 17, as FIGURE 3 shows. A double-acting fluid pressure cylinder 22 is pivotally supported on transverse uprights 23 fixed to the base plate 10. The cylinder contains a reciprocable piston and piston rod 24 connected at its free end to the toggle linkage. When the piston rod is retracted, the linkage lowers conveyor section 18 to a position in which it rests on a stop 25 fixed to the upper edge of plate 14, as FIGURE 4 shows.

Pedestal 15 carries a bumper formed of a pair of cylindrical housings 26, respective compression springs 27 received in the housings, and a plate 28 which has rearwardly extending rods 29 extending through the springs and housings. The inner edge of the tiltable conveyor section 18 carries ejector arms 30 which normally lie between rollers of the fixed conveyor section 16. A sloping ramp 31 for receiving articles from the device is fixed alongside the tiltable conveyor section. Along its outer edge this conveyor section carries a bridge plate 32 which forms a continuation of the ramp when the section is lowered.

In operation, I introduce a cylindrical article C to the entry end of the conveyor sections 16 and 17 fiom another conveyor, not shown. The axis of the article is parallel to the longitudinal center line of the base plate 10. The tiltable conveyor section 1'8 is in its normal raised position (FIGURE 3). The momentum of the article advances it along the conveyor sections until it strikes the bumper plate 28, whereupon the article stops and the springs 27 cushion the shock. I then operate cylinder 22 to lower conveyor section '18 (FIGURE 4). As this section is lowered, its ejector arms 30 push the article sideways onto the bridge plate 32 and ramp 31. The article then rolls down the ramp for further handling by any suitable mechanism not shown.

From the foregoing description it is seen that my invention atfords a simple rugged device for tilting articles sideways, thus enabling them to be transferred from a conveyor to a sloping ramp. The device has a minimum of parts and hence is less costly to build and maintain than previous devices used for this purpose.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A device for tilting heavy cylindrical articles sideways comprising a frame, a pair of fixed roller conveyor sections supported on said frame, the axes of the rollers of the two conveyor sections sloping downwardly toward each other to form a shallow trough for carrying an article, one of said conveyor sections being substantially longer than the other, a bumper carried by said frame at one end of the longer conveyor section and spaced from the corresponding end of the shorter conveyor section, a tiltable roller conveyor section hingedly connected to the longer fixed conveyor section in the space between the shorter fixed conveyor section and said bumper, a toggle linkage connected between the underside of said tiltable conveyor section and said frame, a first stop fixed to said frame, said linkage normally abutting said first stop and supporting said tiltable conveyor section in a position in which it forms a continuation of the shorter fixed conveyor section, a fluid pressure cylinder and piston connected between said frame and said linkage for pulling said linkage away from said first stop and thus lowering said tiltable conveyor section about its hinged connection to release an article carried in said trough, a second stop fixed to said frame and adapted to be engaged by said tiltable conveyor section when lowered, and a plurality of ejector arms fixed to said tiltable conveyor section adjacent its hinged connection and normally lying between rollers of the longer fixed conveyor section but being operable to push articles sideways when said tiltable conveyor section is lowered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

